Celia Cardoza-Lance
What a View!
Acrylic on Canvas
24”h x 18”w
$175
My Cherie Amour (2021)
Acrylic on Canvas
30”h x 24”w
$200
Appearance
Charcoal on Canson white paper, 98 lbs
18” h x 24”w
$75
My formal art instruction consists of five courses that I have taken from Professor Houck here in Stockton’s community college, San Joaquin Delta College. Four of those classes centered in painting through the use of acrylics and one in introductory drawing. These courses and in particular my art instructor have been pivotal in how I approach a creative process which allows me to put into practice newfound knowledge and skill. I do confess that while I have a much improved understanding of art concepts, it is not what instilled a passion for art in me. My mother with no more than a number two pencil and the inside of paper bags to draw on is what fostered a love for art. There she sat in the evenings sketching quietly at the kitchen table with her three children watching and admiring her creations, proving that it was time well spent.
My portfolio reflects notions of evolving and perpetual change and a sense of growing as seen through my eyes. My Little Chickadee started out with a Worm’s-Eye View approach but as time transpired my tiny Echeveria, commonly referred to as Chick and Hen, blossomed into a beautiful succulent with its very own bloom. My color selection, expressive in nature expressed my pride in viewing its maturation. My Cherie Amour is embedded in an old snapshot of my granddaughter I came across as I was rummaging through my personal clutter and a memory that it was taken weeks before her Quinceanera. This was a very special rites of passage for her and I used the eye area and tilt of the head and devilish smile to capture her excitement and anticipation. Warm Pumpkins, with its Foreshortening, is celebratory in nature. My attempt was to view a landscape in a period of harvest and respect that approaching a conclusion of a cycle is as important as its inception, again, the theme of evolving is present. The surreal piece titled, Blue Grotto, Illuminating Dream portrays how travel changes how we view our world. In it I placed a feminine bust and a wine glass to toast my inner unveiling of all that this great earth holds for us all. This painting is a testimony of my personal development; it’s very dear to me. I included a work done in charcoal, Appearance, in this portfolio because it started out as a simple exercise on how to draw clouds and quickly evolved and grew into something completely different when I spotted two clasping hands in those clouds. Before I knew it, it kept changing and took on a life of its own. I hope that all of my art goes through this change and growth process; it’s very exciting. The last piece is very subdued but it is reflective in nature, the window invites me the artist to look at my surroundings with optimistic lenses and hold on to a stance of perpetual look out for change, growth and an evolving world.
My endeavors, as an art student, is to travel down this path. I know that I will continue to paint and to seek instruction which nurtures creativity. At this point in my life, I do not necessarily seek a career. My goal is to grow as an artist, to develop my talent and hope that that effort will reap intrinsic benefits.